Let’s cut out all the fluff for a moment and talk about what Christmas is really about: buying things. Buying things is the best way to feel better about yourself during the darkest time of the year. …

Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle Sure, anarchists love to angrily shout things like “Property is Theft” and “F@#K the Man,” but how about “Ho, Ho, Ho?” If certain rabble-rousers have anything to …

In America, we don’t need folk traditions to provide us with a demonic id to Santa’s mild-mannered ego, the nasty yang to his wholesome ying. For that, we have Hollywood. Case in point: Silent Night, …